Patterson ended up playing 15 of 16 games, starting all of them, and registering very fine numbers—2.5 sacks, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and 26 tackles. He’s been extremely consistent since the Eagles drafted him, missing just two games in seven seasons.

He headed into this offseason expected to play in 2012, but maybe the Eagles knew something about his condition because they spent a first-round pick on defensive tackle Fletcher Cox. Andy Reid loves defensive linemen like he loves his cheeseburgers, having spent six first-round picks on defensive linemen since 2000.

The Eagles have a top-notch defensive line this year, regardless of the fact that they’ve collected just seven sacks. They’ve constantly been in the face of the opposing quarterbacks, pressuring them and that’s had a huge impact on all three wins.

Fletcher Cox has been a vital part of that defensive line rotation, as the Eagles have been able to put him right in the mix even though he’s played just four NFL games. Cox introduced himself to Eli Manning, registering a quarterback hit, a quarterback pressure, and three tackles in just 43 snaps.

Cox has seen extensive playing time in all four contests this year, and his workload will only increase as he shows the coaching staff that he can play at a high level. The Eagles have Derek Landri signed to a very team-friendly one-year deal and Cullen Jenkins was a highly sought-after free agent when the Eagles signed him before 2011.

Patterson’s contract is supposed to pay him $3 million next year, which isn’t too shabby at all for a player of his ability. But those figures go up to $3.75 million in 2014, $5 million in 2015, and $6.35 million against the cap by 2016.

Cox will assuredly start over Patterson by next year and the Eagles likely won’t want to pay that much money to Patterson simply to be a backup.